Place: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by JeffKrenner:

3.85/5 rDev -4.2%

I went in here on my rush through a few liquor stores stocking up before coming back to MN. Decent selection of local offerings, including many Central Waters, Lake Louie, Tyranena, Furthermore, etc along with DFH, Bell's, and other fine crafts. However, not much of the limited versions of the local brews. In other words there was no Central Waters BBS, no Lake Louie Reserves, etc. No one offered any help, but that was fine since I knew what I was looking for. They were very friendly at checkout. Prices seemed pretty much in line for what I saw at most other Madison beer stops.

This place had some blushing monk, so I thought I would stop by after my trip to great dane yesterday. Its only a mile away from great dane, so this will be a great stop!

Atmosphere: Was not really sure what to think. Nothing bad, but I just seemed a bit out of place as i walked into the store...for what ever reason.

Quality: Nothing to much to remark about in this category.

Service: seemed friendly, but very get in and get out kind of situation.

Selection: All beer was found in coolers. Really great selection of Wisconsin craft beer represented here. Small store, but alot of tough to find beers are noted in the coolers! Got the beer I was looking for and a few amazing surprises. They had breweries from Nebraska, Indiana, and Colorado well represented too!

Atmosphere: Such a tiny, sorta dumpy store, but oh so much charm. The first time I went in there, it gave me the feel of a small, rural liquor store where the hottest commodity is Old Milwaukee. Not the case at all.Quality/Selection: Not a massive store, but they are built around and for craft breweries. If it's a craft brewery in Wisconsin or the midwest, it'll be at Star. They also always get limited/rare releases and also have a good amount of imports as well. Service: Very helpful and fairly friendly. Know their stuff.Value: Aside from Woodman's, maybe the best priced place in Madison. Example: 4-pk of KBS for $19.99.

2011 re-review: Star had a few gems that we didn't see elsewhere around town, namely Nebraska Brewing Melange A Trois, Goose Island Night Stalker & Big John, Sprecher Black IPA & Kriek, O'so Dank & Dominator, fresh Dancing Man (released May 1). They had a list of daily beer tastings taped to the cooler doors for Madison Craft Beer Week, which was also cool. Yes it's a little small and dingy, but the selection makes up for that. Check it out after a stop at the Weary just a few doors down.

08-11-2008:Stopped in here after the Great Taste.

Majority of beer is in the coolers, a couple displays were on the floor. A good selection of WI microbrew. Very low on the limited offerings such as Tyranena BGW, Central Waters barrel-aged, etc. There was one NG Unplugged, not sure if that's due to the Great Taste weekend or not. Ale Asylum, plenty of Lake Louie (current seasonal), New Glarus, Capital, Central Waters, Bells, etc. One rare-ish offering I saw was '06 CW Kosmyk Charlie, asking price was $6. Limited selection of craft singles, it would be nice to see more of those. Good import selection, limited to Unibroue, a few customary European selections. Cashier was a friendly fellow.

This place is one of the smaller places I've visited, which means turnover probably is not a problem. The definitely get some high end beers in here, but not too many single bottles and variation suffers at a place like this in regards to lesser popular beers. Without a doubt though, if you want some of the heavy hitters of the brewing industry and don't really feel like searching around for them, this is your destination. The good service there will also help and if I lived nearby I would be a regular for high end releases.

this joint is conveniently located 2 doors down from the weary traveller and right before the co-op (heading from downtown)

its not the biggest beer-store in town but it ALWAYS has something to offer.

the quality has never been anything but on-par with no old bottles to note. its a neighborhood willy street joint and the service shows - everyone is friendly

the selection will please anyone offering 6packs from all the local heavy hitters with a focus on the special releases. there are a few coolers of 22oz/750ml and various other singles that frequently contains limited releases from central waters, southern tier (choklat, jahva, gemini, and all else), nogne, ommegang, and lots of others.

this store is convenient to me as its right on the way to my girlfriends and it always has something that i dont see in my other mainstays (rileys, steve's university)

prices are always fair

this also earns points for being the premier spot to wait in line for great taste tickets

I really dig this joint. It's a necessary stop whenever I'm in the Willy St. area, and it's a stone's throw from the co-op. The employees are cordial, engaging, and knowledgeable. The place is small, but variety and unique selection abound both in beers and wines. They are quick to help you find whatever you may be looking for, and they have succeeded in recommending a few good food-drink pairings when I was stuck. If you also do wine, Star offers a 10% discount on any wines that the Willy's St. Co-op's monthly newsletter recommends as a pairing for its recipes.

This is a great place. It looks like they sell mainly wine, but they have a good selection of local brews as well. They had all the beer I was looking for to bring back to IL with me; Big Sky, Bells, Tyranena, Old Chub, and New Glarus. I received excellent service there.
The guy that was working was a beer geek like myself. He recommended I should try, Lake Louie's - Kiss The Lips IPA, Warped Speed Scottish Ale & Central Water's - IPA. He also mentioned if I had time, I should stop in at the Ale Asylum brewery for some outstanding beers.
If you are ever planning on stopping by Madison, I highly recommend this store. It's definitely worth checking out.

Star Liquor has a small and unassuming storefront. The place has a very co-ed ready feel to it. Posters for bands playing local venues line the window next to entrance.
The interior is small with a limited selection of wines and liquor, the emphasis appears to be more on the wine.
A short stroll to the rear of the store brings you to the beer coolers. There are a couple of Belgians, English Ales, and a couple of other imports.
The selection is fairly limited, but on this trip I did find the Wisconsin beers I was looking for. The truth be told I could have purchased all of the beers on my list here. Had it not been for the other ten places I planned to visit, I would have.
The staff was friendly, helpful and knew what was stocked in the back coolers. This place is not huge, hell its not even medium-sized. I did find the Wisconsin beers I was looking for. I have to give them that.

As a side note; I did visit their website. The cartoon-like drawings of the stores exterior and interior layout are pretty accurate.

So, I'm around for business, hop in late on a sunday to grab some beer, not knowing what to expect. Find the place to be a charming little hole-in-the-wall liquer store, but a very good one at that. Was asked within 2 minutes if I needed any help with anything, asked a few questions and could tell she knew what she was talking about. While the selection was small, due to store size, they fit in quite a good number of great beers. I picked up Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (yessss), Dogfish 120 Min., Bell's Rye Stout, and Sprechers Imp. Stout. So, stuff I don't normally see. And, other singles, good sixer selection, a whole ton of wine if you're looking to do a balanced shoping day... basically, a pretty cool place.